Amazon is shutting down its live audio service, called Amp, the company confirmed to CNBC.
Amp allows users to host their own live show, where callers can join and request to speak. It launched in March 2022 amid a frenzy around audio-only social app Clubhouse and as companies such as Meta, Spotify, and X, formerly known as Twitter, rolled out live audio features. Amazon signed up big-name artists such as Nicki Minaj, Lil Yachty and Pusha T to host their own shows on Amp.
“We’ve made the difficult decision to close Amp,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. “We learned a lot about how live music communities interact in the process, which we are bringing to bear as we build new fan experiences at scale in Amazon Music.”
Amp hosts and listeners lamented the service’s demise in messages shared on the app. One stream was titled “RIP AMP,” while another user wrote, “Nothing lasts forever. Sure was fun tho [sic].”
Bloomberg earlier reported Amazon’s decision to discontinue Amp.
The move comes as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been entrenched in a sweeping review of the company’s expenses, as it grapples with slowing sales and a challenging economy. Jassy has pared back underperforming projects in riskier, newer verticals such as health care and grocery, froze corporate hiring and eliminated more than 27,000 jobs. The Amp unit was hit with layoffs last year, and it has struggled to meet internal goals around monthly active users, among other metrics, Insider reported.
Amazon has made other bets in audio and entertainment, including a music streaming platform, Twitch livestreaming service and audiobooks. It also acquired podcast network Wondery in October 2020.
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